This section provides background information related to the present disclosure and is not necessarily prior art.
In an effort to reduce fossil fuel emissions and other pollutants emitted from vehicles that use internal combustion engines, hybrid electric vehicles (HEV) and electric vehicles (EV) have been designed and implemented to mitigate the environmental effects of the internal combustion engine. In order to provide power to these battery systems, the HEV and EV may be connected to an electrical grid using a copper cable. Typically, the copper cable will have one end that has a plug for connecting the battery system to connect to the electrical grid.
The battery system of an HEV or EV may also connect to the electrical grid by implementing a wireless or contactless power transfer system. A wireless power transfer (WPT) system may use the mutual inductance between two inductive coils to provide power to the battery system of the HEV or EV. The electrical grid may provide a voltage to the first coil and, as a result of the inductive coupling between the first coil and the second coil, the second coil will induce a voltage and subsequently charge the battery system of the HEV or EV.
During the operation of the WPT system, the presence of a foreign object, such as a can, coin, paper clip, aluminum foil, etc., may adversely affect the safety, reliability, and efficiency of the WPT system. As such, there is a need for a foreign object detection system for a WPT system.